Jeffrey Hayzlett, chief business development officer and VP at Eastman Kodak, will serve as General Chair of the 31st John Caples International Awards.

In an effort to drive innovation, build a stronger brand and create additional impact, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) recently merged its marketing functions. Stephen Medlicott has been named its marketing group director, a new position within the organization.

At Search Engine Strategies San Jose last week, marketers met to explore search trends and tactics. Discussion often turned to the role that the other digital channels must play in integrated strategy.

The success of a search engine marketing (SEM) campaign depends on selecting the right keywords, said Christine Churchill, president of SEM firm KeyRelevance, at a panel at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose on Thursday.

Search marketing often gets credit for the final sale or conversion, even when it shouldn't, according to a roundtable discussion today at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose. "Search [often] gets credit for everything," admitted Mikel Chertudi, senior director of online and demand marketing at Omniture.

Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) has partnered with Meijer retailers to test a new program that will promote single copy magazine sales. The program, which runs from August 21 to September 6, promotes magazine sales by offering a $2 discount coupon to customers who buy two or more magazines during a single shopping trip.

For the first time in years, I'm not heading to the Search Engine Strategies San Jose show — its 10th anniversary edition (Gasp). Yes, it feels wrong, but client and travel schedules did not align so well this year, and so I will have to live vicariously through blogs, videos and images posted by others this week.

Over the last few years, online video consumption has grown exponentially. However, video advertising has failed to meet the expectations of investors — even the most popular publishers struggle to sell sufficient inventory.

The Email Experience Council (EEC), the e-mail marketing arm of the Direct Marketing Association, has created a new outreach program called the EEC Speakers Bureau. The Speakers Bureau, which is run by EEC members, will make itself available to speak at events that have little or no programming about e-mail marketing, in a move to educate the industry more about the channel.

The Direct Marketing Association has announced its 2008 Hall of Fame inductees. They will be inducted during the DMA08 show in Las Vegas at an October 14 luncheon. Among the inductees is Andi Emerson, the late founder, president and chairwoman of the board of the John Caples International Awards.